The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) would henceforth focus on demand driven training programmes in all states of the federation.

Its Director General, Nasiru Ladan, who stated this in Abuja, explained that training programmes that would be introduced in states would be influenced by specific demands.

He also stated that to achieve an impactful training, the 83 training programmes of the NDE have been streamlined to 10.

His words: “We have reduced the NDE’s training programmes to 10 from 83. I believe that it is better we reduce them to a manageable number so that we can deliver excellence.

“The trainings are distributed amongst the four departments namely: Vocational Skills Development, Rural Employment Promotion, Special Public Works and Small Scale Enterprises.”

Ladan said about 4,000 street artisans without specific address to ply their trades have been placed in construction firms within Abuja.

He explained that the directorate had to do that because it was convinced that the construction companies would feel confortable when they see that the artisans were provided by the NDE.

The NDE, he added, was also organising the waste collectors in Abuja with a view to ensuring they form groups into trade society, saying, “the plan is to provide them with free gloves, face mask and waterproof containers for easy collection of refuse. We need to encourage them because they are also contributing to the economic development of the country.”

He noted that henceforth, the NDE would look at every state of the federation to see which trade was more acceptable to youths there so that upon training and settlement, they would be willing to set up and even employ others.

While restating the need for NDE to continue its training programmes across the country, Ladan hinted that payment of trainees would be given top priority, as they would now be paid their stipends simultaneously with the training.

He hinted that plans are underway to bring about one million economic trees that would engage about 5,000 youths in the country.

Ladan further explained that the economic trees that grow within twelve months would be brought in from Malaysia and that discussions have already held with some state governments on the provision of land for the agriculture initiative to take off soon.

The NDE helmsman insisted that Nigeria can export skills to a country like Qatar that is facing acute shortage of skills but must have all the regulations done first before such partnership can work.

“Nigeria can have partnership with a country like Qatar where most of the workforce are foreigners. In Nigeria, we are facing massive unemployment with millions of qualified professionals that cannot find jobs while there are countries facing acute shortage of workforce,” he said.